Apple drops ‘4G’ name from new iPad

When Apple first released its new iPad it was met of gushes of excitement and adornment, but also with confusion and a fair amount of complaints. Why? The tablets 4G capabilities can only be enjoyed in the operators in the US and Canada where the super fast mobile network is available, not the UK but Apple still marketed the device globally as “4G”. Well over the weekend Apple has quietly dropped the term 4G to describe the new iPad on the UK website.

As you can see from the screenshots taken this morning, the new iPad’s name has changed from “iPad WiFi + 4G” to “iPad WiFi + Cellular” in the UK. Not quite reverting to the name of previous “iPad WiFi + 3G” models, but certainly less confusing than 4G. The technical specs also double-up on the no 4G marketing in the UK:

The bulk of the criticism came from us Brits, but also from the land down below, Australia. Many UK operators needed to tweak the marketing materials to avoid confusing customers into thinking they could enjoy 4G on its shores. Plus a number of customers complained to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

The name change is effective in the UK, Australia, the US, Canada, UAE, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, New Zealand, Malaysia, Ireland and Hong Kong. That’s not all the countries ticked off just yet, but there may be more to come. The Apple.com website sports the new name and Apple retail stores are also due to change their in-store signage to “WiFi + Cellular”.